The people given the medically prescribed heroin in the form of diacetylmorphine were also likely to live longer than those on methadone maintenance.

They stayed in treatment longer and spent less time in relapse than methadone users. Those results are associated with less criminal activity and lower health-care costs.

[np-related]

An average lifetime societal cost of $1.14 million was predicted for people in the methadone study group. But those in the diacetylmorphine group were projected to cost $1.09 million over their lifetimes.

The costs were based on treatment expenditures, drug therapy costs and costs to the justice system.

The study by researchers at Providence Health Care and the University of B.C. was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. It was based on findings from the North American Opiate Medication Initiative, which was North America’s first clinical trial of prescribed heroin.

Health Canada will be reviewing the report, said Steve Outhouse, director of communications to HealthMinister Leona Aglukkaq, in an email to Postmedia News.

“We believe that the system should be focused on preventing people from becoming drug addicts. That is why the National Anti-Drug Strategy focuses on reducing and preventing the use of illicit drugs; treating those with drug dependencies; and combating the illicit production and distribution of drugs,” he said.

Previously, the Conservative government had brought the issue of Vancouver’s “safe injection project” to the Supreme Court of Canada. In September 2011, the court ruled in favour of the controversial Insite program where drug users can safely inject intravenous drugs with clean needles. Patients would also receive health care and addiction treatment advice.

Meanwhile, Liberal health critic Hedy Fry said she was doubtful that the government would be adopting the results of the study.

“I don’t think that’s going to happen because we saw how this government fought the results of Insite,”said Fry, who is a medical doctor. “They should be taking a look at it.”

“If we accept that, we need to believe that the war on drugs did not work. They’re running around throwing people in jail. (That is) not the issue,” Fry added.

According to Fry, drug addiction is a “medical,”not a “legal” issue.

Stopping the sale of illegal drugs would “dry up organized crime and things associated with the sex trade and exploitation,” Fry said.

The research took place in Vancouver from 2005 to 2008. The study also used administrative data from around British Columbia. Researchers said the study was limited by its data on opioid users who stopped using altogether and data on long-term patterns of treatment and relapse of heroin users.